Where Light Cannot Reach
by thunderyoshi
Summary: Where Light cannot reach, there are Shadows. An ancient prophecy, long ago dismissed, comes into play when the lost Silver Samurai Ranger returns to Panorama to fight the Nighlok. She and Antonio, with his Symbol Power of Light, are the only ones who can defeat the Shadows, who want to steal the Light from everyone, so that Malevolence may blanket the world.
1. The Girl on the Beach

Chapter 1: The Girl on the Beach

The sun blazed overhead, reaching its peak in the sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and plenty of people were taking advantage of the pleasant day. One in particular was the self-appointed Gold Samurai Ranger, who had decided to spend his day off from training, fishing.

With music blaring in his ears, Antonio clambered across rocks to find his favourite spot, away from the crowds and other fishers who didn't enjoy the climb. He hummed along as he easily made his way along, jumping from one rock to another while balancing his equipment. As he looked up, he stopped, balancing on a rock as he stared out.

A young woman in a pair of green shorts and a hooded grey t-shirt lay against the rocks, a pair of headphones on as she read a book. As if sensing his presence, she sat up and looked around. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her green eyes studied him curiously.

"Uh, I haven't wandered into some off-limits place, have I?" her question betrayed her origins as an Irish lilt filled the air.

"Huh? Oh, no," Antonio shook his head quickly, wondering what it was about the girl that threw him. She was cute, but so were Mia and Emily, and that never threw him as much as this strange girl was.

"Ah, grand then," she grinned, losing any trace of the hesitation in her expression. Antonio moved towards the edge of the rocks, setting down his equipment. "You fish?" the girl spoke again, surprise in her voice as she watched him.

"That such a surprise?" Antonio grinned as he looked around at her. She shrugged, pink starting to fill her cheeks.

"A little, yeah," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Where I'm from, fishermen are generally old guys who look like fish themselves," Antonio laughed at her description.

"Well I hope I don't look like a fish," he chuckled as he took a seat. "I'm Antonio," the gold ranger decided to introduce himself to the girl, who smiled back.

"Cassie," she replied, setting her book down. Music was still blasting from the headphones around her neck, but she didn't seem to care.

"Nice to meet you, Cassie," Antonio winked. "So, you new to town?" he asked as the pink darkened a little. She wasn't as confident as she appeared.

"What gave it away?" Cassie joked, brushing her hair from her face as a small breeze blew it about. "Been in town a couple of days. I'm looking for something," _Or several someones_, she thought, but dismissed it. She was curious about the young fisherman, not realising that she was throwing him as much as he threw her.

"Whatcha looking for?" Antonio asked. Cassie hesitated, not really knowing what to say. This only made him more curious.

"I can't really say," she told him, finding that she didn't want to lie to him. She hated lies already, but something inside her recoiled at the thought of lying to him.

_The hell is wrong with you Cassie? Just go back to your book. Or better yet, just leave. Stop finding the guy cute and go. You have more important stuff to do here._

"Cool," to her surprise, he didn't push it. "You mind if I fish here?" Antonio asked, and wondered why he asked her. She was making him nervous. He wasn't used to being around other people, let alone girls, except for the other samurai. And Emily and Mia were usually around the other guys, or even just each other.

"Go ahead," Cassie was laughing as she leaned against the rock again and lifted her book.

The two sat in a comfortable peace, with just their music playing and the sound of the sea filling the air. Occasionally one would ask a question, but for the most part Antonio continued to fish and Cassie read her book. For being total strangers, they were confused how comfortable they were in each other's presence.

Until the peace was shattered by a loud scream nearby which made both look up quickly.

"Uh, that happen a lot?" Cassie asked as she set her book down. Antonio cursed under his breath, seeing people starting to flee from the beach.

"Too often," he replied, getting to his feet. Spotting a Nighlok chasing the civilians, Cassie got to her feet too. "Run!" Antonio told her as the Nighlok got closer.

"What? But what about you?" she frowned, and he shook his head.

"Just run, I'll be fine," Cassie looked like she was going to argue, but when she heard more screaming, she shoved her book into her bag and started climbing the rocks, back to land. Antonio watched until she disappeared from view, and just as she did, his morpher beeped.

"I'm almost there guys!" he called into it as he began climbing too, towards the beach, where he could already see the other Samurai fighting, having been on the beach for their day off too. As soon as he reached the sands of the beach, he morphed and swung his barracuda blade at the Nighlok, who caught it. Antonio felt himself being lifted into the air, before he was thrown backwards into Jayden.

"Nice try Goldie," the Nighlok mocked.

"Jayden! Antonio! Are you ok?" Emily asked as she and Kevin helped the two up.

"We're fine," Jayden nodded. "Let's just take care of this guy," he told him, grasping his Spin Sword tightly.

"I'd like to see you try!" the Nighlok challenged. "Moogers!" he called, and the foot soldiers launched at the rangers. The rest of the Rangers called on their weapons and made short work of them, but as each of them turned to the main monster, he moved, faster than they realised.

"He's so fast," Kevin groaned as he hit the ground hard, his Hydro Bow skidding through the sand, out of his reach. Emily was next to go down, and as Mike aimed an attack at the Nighlok's head, it caught it. It let out a mocking laugh, and swung hard, throwing Mike through the air. Mia barely avoiding being taken out by the flying Green Ranger.

"He's fast? Let him try me!" Antonio called as he rushed at the Nighlok, going at an unregistered speed. To his horror, the Nighlok met every attack with one of his own. "No way!" he cried, and was shoved back. Before he could recover to counter, the Nighlok swung his own sword down.

Everyone was taken by surprise when it ricocheted off another blade.

"What?! Since when is there _another _Ranger?!" the Nighlok demanded as everyone stared at the newcomer. It was obvious from the figure that it was a female, and she wore a silver and black suit. She held a pair of Tiger Hook Swords in her hands, one raised over her head, the other by her side.

"No way…that's impossible…" Jayden pushed himself to his feet as the silver ranger tilted her head. Without speaking, she moved, faster than even the Nighlok, and sliced down his chest. The Nighlok cried out and fell over, writhing in pain.

"Whoa, nice moves!" Antonio put a hand on her shoulder. "That was one golden moment," he grinned, but she didn't respond. She tilted her head again, and despite the helmet covering her face, Antonio felt like he was being studied like a lab rat.

"I'm not through with you!" the Nighlok roared, but the Silver Ranger just lifted her sword, blocking his swing. She spun, leaping up and kicking him with a spinning kick. With another swift move, she cut through him, and he hit the ground again, barely surviving. "I'll get you!" he promised, disappearing. Without a word, the Silver Ranger turned and walked away.

"Hey, wait! Who are you?" Kevin demanded, but the Silver Ranger just ran off, leaving them with more questions than answers.

**Welcome to my new story! I've gotten slightly – and by slightly I mean majorly – addicted to Samurai, so here's my fic! It's not connected to my other stories, it's just a random story I thought of. I won't be updating very often due to being in my final year of uni, which means work is starting to pile up!**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Please, let me know what you think!**


	2. The Missing Ranger

Chapter 2: The Missing Ranger

Ji stood in stunned silence before the six samurai as he took in what they just told him. Jayden was leaning against the wall, his arms folded as he looked deep in thought.

"A Silver Samurai…that is impossible," their mentor whispered, and Mia looked up.

"Jayden said the same thing. Why is it impossible?" she asked.

"Yeah, I mean Antonio created his own morpher, couldn't someone else?" Emily asked, glancing to the Gold Ranger, who nodded. Ji glanced to Jayden, who sighed and shook his head.

"Not this time," he walked over and took a seat. "Up until three generations ago, there was a Silver Samurai that fought the Nighlok," the other Rangers, except for Kevin, stared at Jayden as he revealed this. The blue ranger had read about it in the archives.

"What? Why did we never know about this?" Mike demanded. "What happened?" he asked the questions on everyone's mind.

"Many years ago, the silver ranger disappeared. Nobody knew what happened to her. Because of her disappearance, the samurai at that time nearly died. They barely survived the final battle," Ji explained. "It was assumed that she had perished, and that the line had broken," he told them, just as confused as the rest of them.

"Well apparently it hasn't. And did you see her moves?" Antonio exclaimed, thankful that she had stepped in when she had.

"Yeah, she definitely gave the Gold Ranger a run for his money," Emily teased, and Ji's eyes widened.

"Gold…silver's return…" they all looked at him quickly as he muttered under his breath. "I need to look for something, excuse me," Ji's gaze lingered on Antonio for a moment longer before he strode off quickly. All eyes turned to Antonio, who looked as blank as they did, before everyone looked to Jayden.

"I'm afraid I'm just as stumped as you guys," he shrugged, looking apologetic. A thought suddenly occurred to Antonio and he leapt to his feet, cursing in Spanish and making Emily jump.

"I forgot about my stuff!" he rushed off, back to the beach, hoping his things hadn't been washed away by the sea. Especially since the Octozord was with it.

1-2-3-4-5

Antonio didn't stop running until he reached the beach, and was surprised to find Cassie sitting on the railings by the rocks, reading her book, with his fishing equipment sitting right beside her.

"You moved my stuff?" he asked, making Cassie jump and look up.

"Hey," she smiled, lowering her book. "The tide was coming in and nearly took your stuff out to fish for itself," Cassie explained as she slipped off the railing. She was quite small, barely passing his chin. Antonio's stomach squirmed as he watched her, and he scolded himself.

"_Gracias, señorita,_" he grinned once he composed himself, and Cassie smiled brightly at him. "Why did you come back here?" Antonio asked, as he walked over and leaned on the railing, looking out at the sea. The rocks below were soaked, with waves continuously hitting them. His things would have been long gone, had Cassie not lifted them. Antonio scolded himself for being so careless, but his mind had been focused on the appearance of the Silver Ranger that he'd forgotten about everything.

"Well the monster was gone pretty quick, and it was still really nice out, so I thought I should enjoy it a bit longer," Cassie explained, looking up at the sky, which was starting to darken. She looked at Antonio as his morpher started to beep, and he pulled it from his pocket. "That's an interesting phone," Cassie commented as he answered.

"It's a new model," Antonio lied quickly, flicking it open. "What's up?" he answered, very aware that Cassie was watching him.

"_The Nighlok is back!_" Jayden called, apparently already in the fight.

"I'm on my way," Antonio hung up and looked to Cassie. "I gotta go, thanks for saving my stuff," he grabbed his things and took off as Cassie nodded. She watched him running, and tilted her head.

"I wonder…" she murmured, putting away her book before starting to walk.

1-2-3-4-5

The Samurai rangers hit the ground hard once again, groaning as the Nighlok laughed.

"He's just too fast," Mia groaned as she pushed herself up. "We can't match him!" the Nighlok laughed and knocked her back down with a slash down the front of her suit.

"Mia!" Jayden tried to get up, but was knocked out of the way.

"You're all pathetic!" the Nighlok mocked, but let out a cry as Antonio sliced down his chest plate. As it recovered and went to retaliate, another blow raked down his back. They all looked up as the Nighlok spun around to snarl at the Silver Ranger. "You again? What does it take to get rid of you?!" he demanded, and the Silver Ranger just shrugged.

"She's back!" Emily exclaimed happily as she looked up to see the mysterious ranger fighting the Nighlok, using her hook swords with ease. With her attacks slowing him down, Antonio joined in on the fight. The Nighlok cried out and staggered back, away from the two, but the Silver Ranger launched at him, combining her swords and spinning them. A silver glow emitted from them, and shot out at the Nighlok, hitting him dead on. He cried out as he fell, and exploded.

"Thanks for helping out," Jayden pushed himself to his feet and walked over.

"Who are you?" Mike asked as he rushed over with the others. The stranger didn't answer, taking a step back as they approached her. She then turned and ran off before they could stop her, and Kevin let out a frustrated growl.

"She ran away _again_? Why?" he questioned as they demorphed, looking frustrated.

"I don't know, I guess she's not ready to talk yet," Jayden shrugged, folding his arms as he stared in the direction that she had run in.

"But why?" Emily just couldn't understand why someone who was clearly their ally would keep disappearing.

"Maybe she's waiting for the perfect moment?" Antonio couldn't help but grin, especially when the others shot him playful glares.

"I don't think she's as eager for the spotlight as you are," Mike stated, which only made Antonio's smile widen.

"Let's get back to the Shiba House," Jayden decided. "I'm sure we'll see her again soon," they nodded and started walking again. As they did, none of them noticed a figure sitting in a tree, watching them with bright green eyes.

"Well well," Cassie spoke as she leaned forwards, watching them walk off, talking amongst themselves. "So he _is_ a Power Ranger…the Gold one and all," she looked up as a small Owl Zord flew around her head. "Looks like I found who I was looking for, and didn't even realise it," she chuckled as the Zord landed on her shoulder. "I guess I should introduce myself…but where's the fun in that? Let's keep them in the dark a little while longer," Cassie decided, jumping from the tree as the Owl Zord flew off.

**I'm glad you guys are liking it so far, I hope that continues! Please, let me know what ya think!**


	3. Identities Revealed

Chapter 3: Identities Revealed

The Samurai sat at the table, watching their mentor expectantly. After disappearing two days before, Ji had finally returned, looking a little frazzled. It unnerved the Rangers out to see him so shaken.

"So what's going on Ji?" Jayden broke the silence. Ji sighed and took a seat with them, playing with his cane lightly.

"The return of the Silver Samurai is no random occurrence," he announced. When they looked blankly at him, Ji continued. "There is a prophecy, written long ago, back when the first Samurai rangers rose up to challenge Master Xandred. Unfortunately, it was also long forgotten. It was dismissed, especially when the silver ranger at the time disappeared," Ji said, and Jayden spoke up.

"Why was it dismissed?" he asked, and Ji's gaze turned to Antonio.

"Because it also spoke of a Gold Ranger," the young fisherman's eyes widened in shock. Everyone turned to stare at him. "I only once glanced at the prophecy once when I was young. It took the return of the Silver Ranger to jog my memory," Ji shook his head, berating himself for being so careless. He should have remembered the moment that Antonio appeared.

"Well…what does this prophecy say?" Mia asked curiously. Ji shook his head, frustrated.

"I do not know. I could not find it," he told them. "All I know is, there is an evil coming that has been prophesised for many years," Antonio couldn't help but be excited at the thought. He was connected with the silver ranger. His determination to become a Samurai had helped bring a prophecy into being.

"We need to find the Silver Ranger, and talk to her about this," Kevin stood up. "She might know something about the prophecy, since she's returned now," he pointed out. The others nodded, knowing he was right.

"Yeah, but how do we find her?" Emily looked worried.

"Whenever a Nighlok attacks, she'll be there," Jayden told them, looking confident. "She's a Samurai, it's her mission to defeat them," as soon as he spoke, the Gap Sensor went off, making them all look up. "Speak of the devil…" Jayden murmured as Ji leaned forwards, activating the map.

"It's in the park!" he narrowed in on the Nighlok attacking.

"Let's go," Jayden nodded to the others, and they all leapt up. "We can't let her escape this time, ok guys? If she runs, we follow," he told them.

"Right!" the other five agreed, hurrying to the battle.

1-2-3-4-5

People screamed as they ran from the park, trying to avoid the Moogers running around. One mother was stuck, restrained by Moogers as the Nighlok held her screaming son.

"Yes, your despair is perfect!" the Nighlok laughed eagerly, lifting the child up by the arm so his wailing intensified. The sobbing mother was pulling at the Moogers, pleading for him to release her son. "The Sanzu River will soon flood, all thanks to you humans and your attachments!" he mocked, before recoiling as a rock slammed into his head.

"Oi!" Cassie called as she stood in front of him, her face shadowed by a hat. "I'd let the kid go, if I were you," she warned, falling into a fighting stance.

"Hah! Like I'd listen to a runt like you," Cassie smirked, and shot forwards with speed that the Nighlok did not expect. She delivered a leaping kick to the Nighlok's chest, throwing him back. Cassie caught the child, and set him down. The mother broke free of the Moogers and rushed over, thanking Cassie hysterically.

"Just get out of here," Cassie told them, kicking the Moogers out of the way. Thanking her again, she ran off, carrying the boy in her arms.

"Little runt!" she spun around, just as the Nighlok grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air. Cassie struggled, kicking out and tugging at the thick hand around her neck. "Not so strong, are you now?" the monster mocked as she continued to struggle. The Nighlok was much stronger than she was.

"Hey! Let her go!" she stopped struggling as she heard a voice yell.

"I don't think so. Her despair will be enough for me!" the Nighlok barked, tightening his grip.

"Who said…" Cassie managed to say between gasps for breath. "I would despair?" she smirked, and kicked her leg up, slamming her foot into his arm. Yelping in surprise, the Nighlok dropped her. Cassie landed softly and bounced back up, catching his arm as he tried to grab her again and shoving it aside as she kicked his head.

"That's her!" Jayden realised, recognising Cassie's moves. "She's the Silver Ranger!" Cassie leapt back from the Nighlok and swore under her breath. She took off, and they groaned. "Antonio, you're the fastest, you go after her. We'll take care of him!" Antonio nodded and ran off after her, using the same speed that he had when Mike and Emily had pursued him after discovering who he was.

Cassie heard pounding footsteps and cursed as she realised that she was being chased. She hadn't anticipated that. She'd known the Nighlok wasn't very strong, or very intelligent, and so had known the other Samurai were more than capable of dealing with him. She hadn't expected them to send someone to chase her. The Irishwoman increased her pace, going at full speed to try and escape, and with her head start it seemed likely that she would. The footsteps faded, and Cassie grinned.

Until she turned a corner and was surprised by Antonio grabbing her shoulders and slamming her into the wall. Her hat fell off with the force, and Antonio's eyes widened as they both gasped for breath.

"Cassie?" he had to say, he wasn't expecting that.

"Hey Antonio. Fancy meeting you here," Cassie couldn't help but grin. Antonio stared at her in mute shock, before starting to laugh.

"You…you're the Silver Ranger?" he couldn't believe it.

"And you're the Gold Ranger," she replied, amusement in her eyes. "And before you ask, no, I didn't know when I met you at the beach," Cassie told him as Antonio opened his mouth, about to ask that. "You can let me go, y'know. I won't run," Antonio realised that he was still holding her against the wall, and felt his stomach flip. He released her quickly, stepping back as Cassie lifted her hat, ducking her head to hide her blush.

"Why do you keep running away anyway?" he asked, and Cassie tilted her head, a trait that seemed to be a habit for her. A grin spread across her face.

"I thought it'd be fun to keep you lads in the dark a little while longer," she told him, playing with the hat in her hands. Antonio laughed again, seeing the similarity between that and his waiting for the perfect moment to reveal himself. "Well, since that's out the window, we should probably go help the other Samurai deal with the Nighlok," Cassie suggested.

"This is gonna be golden!" Antonio cheered as they started running back to the battle.

"You say that a lot?" Cassie glanced to him with amusement. Antonio looked back with an innocent expression.

"Possibly," he shrugged, before they reached the Nighlok, and the other Samurai, who were already morphed.

"Hey, she's back!" Emily exclaimed as they surrounded the Nighlok, who looked like he was becoming exhausted.

"I'm drying out!" the Nighlok yelped. "I'm outta here!" he disappeared back to the Sanzu River, and the rangers ran over to Cassie and Antonio, demorphing.

"So, you're the Silver Ranger," Jayden stood in front of Cassie, who studied him with her arms folded.

"So, you're the Red Ranger," she replied, a mild grin on her face.

"Let's get back to the Shiba House, we'll talk there," the Red Ranger decided, and the others nodded before looking to Cassie. She shrugged, not looking too fussed.

"If we must," she agreed, and followed them out of the park.

**Hope you liked it! It's a bit short, so sorry about that! Let me know what you think!**


	4. The Prophecy

Chapter 4: The Prophecy

Cassie shifted uncomfortably as seven sets of eyes remained on her and her Owl Folding Zord, which was sitting on her shoulder. It was her favourite perch.

"If you would all kindly stop staring, that'd be appreciated," she finally told them. She hated being the centre of attention.

"Cassie," Ji spoke up. "The Silver Ranger disappeared from battle many years ago. What happened?" he asked the question that had haunted many for years. Cassie leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees.

"My great-grandmother, the Samurai Ranger of our family at the time, was captured by monsters that were not Nighloks," she told them. "They called themselves Shadows, and their leader was the one who held her captive. My great-grandmother barely escaped with her life, and her morpher was broken as a result. Owl Zord was nearly destroyed in the process," Cassie looked to the Zord on her shoulder. "While recovering, she had a dream, involving these Shadows, and a Prophecy," everyone glanced at Antonio, Cassie included. "She knew that for this prophecy to come into effect, for the Shadows to be destroyed, the Silver Ranger needed to disappear, until the Gold Ranger appeared," Cassie gave a slight smile to him.

"But…why did she not tell the other Samurai families? They thought she was dead!" Mia exclaimed.

"Because they did not believe in the prophecy," Cassie shrugged, leaning back. "They would have tried to stop her," she pointed out lightly.

"What if the prophecy had been wrong?" Kevin asked.

"It wasn't," Cassie couldn't help but grin as he frowned. "The prophecy predicted the Shadows. These creatures nearly killed my Great-Grandmother. She was desperate for a way to defeat them, even if it meant disappearing," she told him softly. "And it predicted the Gold Ranger. So, here I am," she spread out her arms.

"Do you know this prophecy?" Ji asked eagerly.

"Of course," Cassie laughed. "I was raised on it. My grandmother was certain I was the one that was gonna have to return to the Samurai battle," she then cleared her throat. "When Gold is born, Silver will return. No matter who opposes them, their bond will remain unbreakable. Together they must face the Shadows, or Malevolence will blanket the world. Two lives will be spared, and one must fall, before it can end," Cassie recited. Everyone was silent as they processed it.

"What? Is that it?" Mike asked, an eyebrow raised. Cassie nodded in reply.

"Is there anything about who falls?" Ji questioned, not liking how open the ending was.

"Nope," Cassie shrugged, startling the Owl Zord so she flew off. Cassie watched her Zord with a smile, before glancing to Jayden as he spoke up.

"How did you fix your morpher?" he questioned. "You said it was broken when your great-grandmother escaped," he reminded her as Cassie tilted her head.

"Oh, symbol power," she shrugged. "And some skill of my own. Another reason my grandmother was certain it was going to be me that returned to the fight," Cassie grinned.

"Ok, is it actually really easy to make a morpher or something?" Mike demanded, and Cassie's smile dropped. "Antonio made his too, from a broken phone," he explained, and Cassie looked to Antonio with a look of surprise.

"Really?" she asked, and he nodded proudly. "That's…awesome," she couldn't really wrap her head around it. She'd repaired her family's morpher using so much symbol power that she'd passed out in the process, and then the last was a bit of tech work when she'd recovered.

"So, are you going to join us in the battle against the Nighloks?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," Cassie looked at him as if he was crazy. "Just because I was messing around before doesn't mean I don't take the Nighlok threat seriously. If you guys want me to fight with you, I will," she smiled, brushing her hair from her face. As the others grinned happily, the Gap Sensor went off again. "The monster from before must be back," they'd forgotten about it with the discussion of the prophecy.

"It's by the edge of the city," Ji told them as he checked the map.

"Let's go," Jayden leapt up and lead the way out of the Shiba House, towards the battle.

1-2-3-4-5

The Nighlok laughed as he chased screaming civilians around, enjoying the despair that filled the air. It didn't last too long, however, before a foot slammed into the back of his head and knocked him onto his face.

"Whoops, sorry about that," he growled as Cassie's mocking filled the air. He leapt up, and turned to face the seven rangers, who were standing in front of him.

"GO GO SAMURAI!"

"SAMURAI MORPHER, GOLD POWER!"

"No fair!" the monster whined as he stared at them. "There are seven of you now, I'm outnumbered," he complained, before snapping his fingers. "But not for long! Moogers!" he called on the foot soldiers. Cassie smirked under her helmet, twirling her hook swords.

"I hope you lads give me a little challenge," she lifted one sword and pointed it at them, before moving into action, twirling gracefully as she swung her swords, slicing across several Moogers in one swing.

"Nice moves," Kevin called from beside her, nodding in approval. Cassie blushed at the compliment, and was thankful they couldn't see her face. She focused on the Moogers surrounding her, taking them out with ease as Jayden fought the Nighlok, who wasn't proving to be much of a challenge.

Cassie ducked and back flipped to dodge a punch, raising her hook swords in a cross formation to block another. As she kicked them back, she felt it. Her entire body froze as she tried to locate the strange, dark sensation that went down her back. She had no need to worry about the Moogers either. They seemed to feel it too, and backed away.

"Behind you!" Antonio's yell reached Cassie and she spun around, just in time for claws to rake across her chest. Cassie cried out and hit the ground hard, her chest in agony despite the protective suit she wore. She looked up, clutching at her chest, and her heart jumped into her mouth.

A strange creature, scrawny in shape and flickering like it was made of shadows, stood in front of her. It was pitch black except for glowing golden eyes, and a smirk that revealed a mouth full of deadly looking fangs. Wings were stretched out, demonic in appearance, and a tail flicked about.

"What the heck is that?!" Mike demanded as everyone stood frozen, even the Nighlok, staring at it.

"A…Shadow…" Cassie breathed.

"_Oh…so you know what I am_…" the Shadow purred, its voice warped and sinister, making everyone recoil instinctively. Everything about it screamed dangerous. "_Too bad I must kill you now…I was hoping the prophecy would have been a little more fun_," he lashed out, only for Antonio to get in the way. He slashed his Barracuda Blade down the Shadow's chest, making it snarl and stagger back.

"You alright?" Antonio glanced to Cassie, who nodded as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Yeah, thanks," she lifted her swords as the Shadow recovered. "Be careful, he's strong," Cassie murmured to the Gold Ranger, and the Shadow let out a laugh.

"_Oh, I am indeed. And I'm here to stop the prophecy. My master will rule this world_," he hissed.

"No, that's my master's future!" apparently the Nighlok decided that it was safe to attack again. Jayden blocked his attack, and the Shadow lashed out, forcing both Antonio and Cassie to concentrate on it. Not only were its claws lethal, but the tail seemed to be as well.

Once they'd taken out the last of the Moogers, Mike and Kevin went to help Jayden, and Mia and Emily ran at the Shadow. However, as Emily went to strike it, the Shadow caught her arm with its tail, knocking both Antonio and Cassie back, before spinning and slashing down Emily's torso, making her cry out. The flickering intensified and a black aura surrounded the Shadow's hand, which he then slammed into her chest. Emily screamed and collapsed, demorphing and lying still.

"Emily!" Mia cried, and attempted to hit the Shadow, but it was too fast, swinging a punch at the Pink Ranger. Cassie managed to catch its arm with the hook on her sword, yanking it around.

"Get her away from here!" she called to Mia, who nodded and lifted the unconscious Yellow Ranger up, pulling her away from the fight.

"_You like my power now? The brat is going to regret attempting to fight a Shadow_," the Shadow laughed mockingly, catching Antonio's Barracuda Blade.

"No, you're going to regret hurting her," Cassie replied, hooking her swords together and spinning them. Antonio leapt back, and Cassie threw the silver light that shot from her weapons, hitting the Shadow in the chest. It screamed in pain, staggering back.

"_Nice…try…but it will…take more than that to beat me_!" Cassie smirked under her helmet, and glanced to Antonio.

"Symbol Power, Light!" the Shadow looked at Antonio quickly, and found him pointing his morpher at him. Symbol power flooded from his morpher, and slammed into the Shadow. There was a huge burst of light that made everyone recoil, shielding their eyes.

"_No! No!_" it screamed, but the voice soon faded as the light did so, leaving behind nothing but a scorch mark. Both Antonio and Cassie were exhausted from fighting, Antonio more so from using so much symbol power. He hadn't gone easy on it.

"Em!" Mike rushed over to where Mia was nursing Emily, pleading with her to wake up. The Nighlok had been taken out, even when it had grown; the Battlewing had made quick work of it.

"She'll be ok," Cassie told them as she walked over. "She just needs to rest, and get plenty of sunlight," when the rest glanced at her, she explained. "What that Shadow did, was drain her of her light. Thankfully her suit protected her from being completely drained," she told them, crouching beside Emily. "She'll be ok," Cassie insisted.

"We better get her back to the Shiba House," Jayden decided as Mike lifted Emily onto his back. They took off, and Cassie glanced back to where the scorch mark remained. It had begun, and she was terrified.

**Whoops, sorry, kinda been neglecting this story due to focus on Test of the Jackal...and essay work...lots of work...**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! Let me know! :D**


	5. Settling In

Chapter 5: Settling In

A couple of days had passed and Emily had fully recovered from the attack. Nighloks had continued to attack, but there had been no signs of any more Shadows. Cassie had moved into the Shiba House, and seemed to be settling in well. Jayden had found her on the roof on the first night, to which she claimed she wanted to look at the stars.

"She's definitely an interesting Samurai," Ji stood beside Jayden, who had just finished up training. Cassie sat nearby, reading a book in the sun. The others had been alarmed when they saw just how many books she had brought with her.

"She's a good fighter. From what I can tell, she relies on speed more than power," Jayden told their mentor.

"Her family always have," Ji nodded, having heard stories of the Silver Samurai Rangers of the past. They watched as Antonio approached her, grinning widely. Cassie looked up, and smiled back, putting the book down as he invited her to spar with him. "They've become very close already, just like the prophecy predicted," Ji commented.

"Yeah," Jayden agreed, but couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that. Cassie was still a little nervous around them. But with Antonio, she was completely at ease.

"I am concerned though," Jayden looked to Ji as he spoke, and wondered if he had noticed it too. "I do not want this new threat to disrupt the focus to defeat the Nighloks," his eyes were on the two sparring, seeming to be equally matched.

"It won't, Ji. All of us are here to defeat the Nighloks. It's what we all trained for. Even if Cassie came because of the Shadows, her true objective is to beat the Nighloks," Jayden smiled at the man who had raised him for most of his life.

Ji nodded, but didn't look completely convinced. The first appearance of the Shadows did not help, as it had forced the team to split, to take on the Nighlok and the Shadow. He looked back up when Antonio took Cassie down, and she fell onto the grass, before letting out a laugh.

"Ok, if that's how you want to play," she fell back, pushing her lower body up and spinning. She then pushed herself into a standing position and launched more impressive attacks towards Antonio, who was already backing up.

"Hey, we agreed just the basics," Antonio laughed as he jumped back. He then pushed forwards again, going on the offensive.

"That was before you knocked me on me arse!" Cassie called, dodging his next kick.

"Cassie is faster, but only by a slight bit," Jayden commented as Mike, Emily and Mia appeared in the doorway, watching the two spar.

"Yes, but Antonio is much stronger," Ji wasn't sure if he liked their laughter while they were supposed to be training. Finally, Antonio took her down, pinning her into the grass with his knee on her back. Cassie was still laughing, even if it was muffled. He released her after a moment, and Cassie rolled over, spitting out the grass that had gotten into her mouth.

"Are you going to keep fighting me?" Antonio grinned as he offered his hand. Cassie looked at it with a raised eyebrow, and took his hand.

"Nah, I accept defeat," she got to her feet and brushed herself off. "Until next time," Cassie warned, making him laugh.

"Whatever you say," Antonio told her, before hearing her stomach growl. "Come on, let's get some lunch before I knock you on your butt again," he led the way inside as she stuck out her tongue at him.

1-2-3-4-5

Cassie sat on one of the chairs, reading her book and blasting music, relaxing after her food. Kevin had invited her to join him in training, but she had declined, wanting to take a break for a bit.

"Hey," Cassie looked up when a voice reached her over her music. She looked up, and offered a weak smile to Mia and Emily as they stood in front of her.

"Hey, what's up?" she pulled down her headphones and lowered her book so it rested on her lap.

"We just wanted to talk," Emily smiled, taking a seat.

"We haven't really gotten a chance to talk to you yet," Mia pointed out, which made Cassie shift nervously. "I was wondering, you seem kind of nervous around us," Emily nodded in agreement at Mia's statement. Cassie sighed, brushing her hair back.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be," she mumbled, looking guilty. "I've just…only ever had one female friend," Cassie admitted softly, and Emily and Mia exchanged surprised looks. Most of the time, Cassie appeared confident and relaxed, except for when she was the centre of attention.

"Well, now you have two more!" Emily turned a bright smile on Cassie. "I didn't have many friends back home, I was picked on a lot," she told her, and the silver ranger tilted her head, her green eyes widening. "So being here is great, we're all friends," Cassie nodded, finding that she was smiling back. She knew that she was being stupid, feeling nervous around her fellow Samurai, but she hadn't had the easiest childhood.

After the initial hesitation, the three spoke about their training, with Mia and Emily directing plenty of questions to Cassie, curious about her style, and her weapons.

"I don't use a sword, at least not a katana," Cassie told them, having seen their Spin Swords. "My family have specialised in using Hook Swords for generations. They're pretty fun, even if I'm not supposed to think that," she gave a crooked grin as Mia smiled back.

"They're so cool!" Emily called as she walked in, carrying a couple of drinks that she had insisted on getting them. "I'd love to learn how to use them," no sooner had she spoken, did she trip over her own feet and crash to the ground with a cry. The drinks flew through the air and emptied all over Cassie.

"Well…maybe in the future," she suggested weakly, pushing her hair from her face as it clung to her. She got to her feet as Emily pushed herself up.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," she was getting flustered as she rushed over to Cassie, as Mia tried to hide her laughter. Guilt was reflecting in Emily's brown eyes. "I'm really sorry," Emily apologised again, and was surprised when Cassie started laughing.

"Honestly Em, don't worry about it," she told her as her hair stuck to her forehead again. "No harm done," Cassie insisted, looking down to examine her soaked attire. "I better go change," she chuckled.

"I'm really sorry," Emily still looked a little distressed.

"Em, you're ok, like I said, it's grand," Cassie smiled, putting a damp hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. "Accidents happen, and I could probably have done with the shower," she grinned, making Emily giggle. Cassie then turned and headed back to her room, brushing her hair out of her eyes again. "I need a haircut," she murmured, half blinded by her hair. As she turned the corner, she bumped into someone.

"Whoa, what happened?" Antonio laughed as Cassie pushed her hair out of the way again.

"Emily tripped and I got a shower," she explained with a weak smile.

"Ah," Antonio understood instantly. Emily was a massive klutz. "You learn to avoid it after a while," he told her, making Cassie grin. "You settling in alright?" Antonio asked as he leaned against the wall.

"It's…definitely different here," Cassie glanced around the corridor. "But it's good. You guys have been really welcoming," she nodded, smiling softly at him. Antonio felt his stomach knot up and his face burned. Cassie didn't seem to notice as she looked around.

"H-hey, you're one of us, of course you're going to be welcomed," Antonio managed to say. And it was true. She had been welcomed much more than he had, but she was a Samurai by birth.

"I was a bit worried, considering my family hadn't fought the Nighloks for generations," Cassie admitted, her smile fading a little bit. "My mam thought I might not be accepted because of that."

"You're still a Samurai, and you proved you wanted to help when you helped take out those Nighloks," Antonio told her, knowing exactly what she meant. "You were meant to be here," Cassie's smile returned and she looked up at the taller Samurai.

"Thanks Antonio," she felt comforted by his words, having harboured the fear even after she'd joined the team. She appreciated having the Gold Ranger around; even just his presence comforted her. As she thought this, Cassie blushed. "I better go get changed before I get sick or something," she spoke quickly, ducking her head as she rushed off to her room, slipping a little and mumbling a curse as he laughed. Cassie glanced at him again before disappearing into her room.

"Now what was that?" Antonio looked around to see Mike smirking at him.

"_Por qué_? What was what?" he didn't like the look the Green Ranger was giving him.

"You know what," Mike laughed, walking over. "You _like _the new girl," Antonio went red at the accusation.

"You're seeing things Mike," he told him, trying to stop his blushing as Mike laughed. "Cassie's just a friend," Antonio wasn't sure he'd ever told a bigger lie. He knew Mike was right. Mike knew he was right, which was why his laughing only intensified.

"You're a terrible liar Antonio," he told the blushing samurai. "You're pretty much always with her, and when she's not looking you're always staring at her," Mike listed off what Antonio hadn't even realised he was doing. "It's hilarious that a girl has you so smitten," Antonio closed his eyes, willing his heart to stop pounding.

"Mike…you better run now," footsteps echoing away from told him that Mike had started running, and the Gold Ranger took off after him. Cassie opened her door, wearing dry clothes, as she heard Antonio chasing Mike through the Shiba House, yelling at him in Spanish.

"Uh, what's going on?" she looked to Jayden as he passed, and he shrugged.

"I have no idea," he shook his head. "Though they're going to break something if they don't stop-" Jayden hadn't even finished speaking when there was a loud crash that made them both jump. "Running…" Jayden sighed, and within moments Ji's scolding reached their ears. Cassie giggled, and put a hand to her mouth.

"It's a refreshing change, usually that's me," she stated as Jayden glanced at her. He smiled back, before Ji's scolding got louder.

"I guess they broke one of Ji's plants…" he commented. "You want to train for a bit? I'd like to see your skills against me," Jayden requested. He'd seen her skills in battle, and in their daily training, but he wanted to see how she was against him. He'd sparred against the others and knew their fighting styles well, and wanted the same with Cassie.

"Ok," she nodded with a smile, and followed him outside while their Mentor continued to tell Antonio and Mike off for running.

**I keep forgetting about this...I'm sorry...**

**Hope you enjoyed it, let me know!**


	6. Setting Up The Sensors

Chapter 6: Setting Up The Sensors

Kevin's sword sliced through the air where Cassie had been standing only moments before. She had ducked to avoid his attack, before pushing back up to swing her hook swords. Both used their practice weapons to avoid real damage being done, but Cassie knew that they could hurt just the same.

The morning practice was going well and Cassie had quickly found the others enjoyed practising against the techniques passed down through her family. She liked training against them, as she had mostly trained against her mother and grandmother, who used the same style that she did.

Cassie managed to hook her swords around the end of Kevin's sword, and twisted, managing to disarm him. He raised his hands as she pointed one of them at her, and nodded in approval.

"Nice move," he told her, and Cassie smiled proudly. Kevin was skilled with his sword, and more often than not Cassie was the one on the losing side.

"Thanks," it was rare for Kevin to give her a compliment, and so she accepted it gladly. He smiled back and walked off, putting his sword away. Cassie did the same, returning her hook swords to their place on the rack, and as she turned around, she tilted her head to avoid a punch. "Nice try," Cassie smirked at Antonio, before swinging her leg up in a kick. Antonio flipped backwards to escape her attack.

"What was that?" he teased. "Even an old lady could dodge that," Cassie scowled playfully and pushed forwards, and he caught her next punch. "Really?" he was grinning widely, and Cassie was struggling to keep a straight face.

"You're such a jackass," Cassie's voice betrayed her when she giggled. She pulled her fist free and stepped back as he put a hand to his heart.

"Your words wound me _señorita_," as soon as he spoke, Antonio shot forwards and aimed a kick at Cassie's head. She just about managed to catch his foot, and smirked. She shoved his foot to the side and Antonio overbalanced. As he stumbled, Cassie crouched down and tripped him. Antonio hit the ground face down, and as he tried to push himself up, Cassie pinned him, sitting on his back.

"Told you I'd beat you," she laughed as she kept him pinned.

"You got lucky," Antonio grinned as he turned his head.

"Oh really Goldie?" Cassie smirked, tilting her head. "You're welcome to try and get out of this if you want," she invited, and Antonio struggled, but found that she had him pinned down completely. Her hands were on his lower arms, keeping them pressed into the cold wooden floor. His heart started to pound as his mind focused on her touch. "No luck involved. Well, maybe a little," she grinned, seemingly oblivious to his reaction.

"Come on Cas, let me up," Antonio laughed lightly.

"Hmm...nope!" Cassie grinned, but a pink haze was spreading across her cheeks at him calling her Cas. Antonio sighed, struggling again before yelping as Cassie poked his side. She burst out laughing, and did it again.

"Cassie, stop, please," he pleaded with her, squirming and laughing. Someone cleared their throat, and their laughter died instantly as they looked up at Ji, who was watching with a look of disapproval.

"Wouldn't working on a Shadow Sensor be more productive than not taking your training seriously?" he asked sternly, and Cassie scrambled to her feet quickly before helping Antonio up.

"Sorry Mentor," they both mumbled, not looking at each other as they moved past quickly. Ji glanced around at them as they hurried off. His frown deepened, and he shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh.

1-2-3-4-5

After changing from her training gear, Cassie sat with Antonio and the two worked on creating new sensors that would alert them if a Shadow appeared in the city. The two analysed a Gap Sensor and worked from that, but Antonio's mind was elsewhere. To be precise, it was on the girl sitting beside him, analysing the sensor in her hands.

It wasn't like him to be so overwhelmed by a girl. He'd been focused on becoming a Samurai since he was a child. Between that and fishing, he'd never really thought about much else. And now Cassie was here and he was finding his attention divided. She was strange, a mixture of confidence in fighting and awkwardness in social situations. She was patient and kind, but there seemed to be some kind of secret just under the surface.

"I reckon it's down to Symbol Pow..." Cassie's voice trailed off as she realised that he wasn't focusing. "Antonio?" he jolted and looked at her.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" he asked, feeling his face going red again.

"I think it's down to Symbol Power," Cassie frowned a little, and looked back to the sensor in her hand. "A Symbol might be how to pick up on them," she suggested, and Antonio took it from her.

"That's a good idea," he pulled out his morpher, and started hitting buttons. "The Symbol for Shadow should be able to pick up on them," a golden symbol appeared, flickering over his morpher.

"Grand," Cassie grinned, and pulled out her own Morpher.

1-2-3-4-5

"Hey, Antonio?" Cassie spoke as the gold ranger put one of their new sensors on a wall. "Is everything ok?" she asked when he looked around at her. Antonio finished attaching the sensor before turning to face her.

"Yeah, of course!" he nodded quickly, grinning at her. "Everything is golden!" he told her, and Cassie gave a relieved smile.

"That's good. You just seemed a bit off earlier," she shrugged.

"What, were you worried about me?" Cassie blushed as Antonio grinned widely.

"Whatever you say, Antonio," she rolled her eyes and turned away. "Focus on getting these spread through the city," she walked off, and Antonio started laughing, running to catch up with her. "It's so different here," Cassie murmured as he caught up to her. "For one thing it's strange having more than a week of summer," she chuckled.

"Is the weather in Ireland that bad?" Antonio looked alarmed, making Cassie laugh.

"Most of the time it's just rainy and windy. It sometimes snows, that's always great," she smiled, looking up at the sky.

"You miss it," Antonio realised as he caught the sadness in her eyes. He saw it in the others, especially Emily.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Cassie shrugged, looking away. Her voice had hardened. "Only been away a fortnight and I'm already homesick. Some Samurai I am," she muttered.

"Hey, just because you're homesick doesn't make you a bad Samurai," Antonio put a hand on Cassie's shoulder, and her eyes lifted to him in surprise as they stopped. "We all miss home y'know. You're a great Samurai," he assured her, and Cassie's smile returned.

"Thanks Antonio," the Gold Ranger's grin widened, before their morphers started to beep. "That's..."

"One of our Sensors," Antonio finished what Cassie was saying. "There's a Shadow..."

"_Right here_," they looked up to see the Shadow hovering about them, her fangs gleaming and her wings outstretched.

"At least we know they work now," Cassie glanced to Antonio, who nodded.

"_Too bad you'll be dead before any others come to this horrific realm_," the Shadow mocked, and shot at them. The two Rangers threw themselves out of her way, but the Shadow's claws managed to rake down Antonio's arm as she passed.

"Antonio!" Cassie was by his side in an instant as blood dripped down his arm.

"I'm fine," he insisted quickly. "Come on, we need to morph," he told her, and Cassie tore her eyes away from his arm to focus on the battle.

"GO GO SAMURAI!"

"GOLD POWER!"

Cassie barely had time to draw her swords before the Shadow attacked her. She blocked her claws with her hook swords, but the force pushed her backwards. Antonio swiped at her with his Barracuda Blade, catching the Shadow's wing and making her scream in pain.

"_My wing_!" she screeched, and turned her glowing golden eyes on Antonio. "_Only one of you needs to die for this to end_," the Shadow snarled, and ran at him as a black haze floated from her damaged wing and dissipated in the wind.

"Neither of us are going to die!" Antonio replied as he dodged her attacks. "Barracuda Blade!" moving at a much faster speed, he connected several strikes to the Shadow, who staggered back.

"_I will not fail my master! He will rule this world and turn it to darkness_!" she cried desperately, despite being clearly injured. She lunged at Antonio again, knocking his blade aside and slashing down his chest.

"That's not going to happen!" one of Cassie's swords slashed down the other wing, and the Shadow wailed as both her wings became useless. "Antonio, use the Symbol!" Cassie called, before the Shadow's tail wrapped around her wrist.

"_You will die!_" the Shadow promised with a snarl, and threw her into Antonio before he could create a Symbol.

"No...we...won't!" Cassie was back up and swinging her swords so they started to glow. "Full Moon Strike!" silver light shot from her weapons and slammed into the Shadow, who screamed as she began to fade.

"_Malevolence will blanket this world_!" she promised, before disappearing.

"That was fantastico!" Antonio approved as he got to his feet. "Nice moves," he told Cassie, who turned to him.

"Thanks," she demorphed and smiled, but it faded when he demorphed and she saw the blood still running down his arm. "You need to get that cleaned up," Cassie told him.

"It's fine, don't worry," he brushed it off, but winced as the movement sent a jolt of pain up his arm.

"It is not fine. Come on," Cassie grabbed his hand and dragged him off, back to the Shiba House. And despite the pain, Antonio quite liked how her hand fit in his.

**I am so sorry. I keep neglecting this story to work on Rebirth. I'll try and work on it soon, but I've gotten so into Rebirth that it's going to be difficult balancing the two. Plus I got hold of Persona 4 Golden and I'm totally addicted.**

**Anyways, I hope you like it! Let me know what you think!**


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